Sinn Féin: Standing Ovations in the Dáil, Two Fingers After - Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil

A Fianna Fáil TD has condemned the decision of Sinn Féin to vote against the EU loan of €90 billion to support Ukraine. The Sinn Féin decision comes less than two months after they gave Zelensky a standing ovation in the Dail.

Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil said:

"They gave President Zelensky a standing ovation in the Dáil, but when it came to a real decision they turned their backs on him.

"Sinn Féin champions the fight against colonial aggression with one hand and supports it with the other.

"This loan is a vital lifeline for Ukraine as it resists the criminal war aggression being waged on it by Putin's Russia.

"For Sinn Féin to oppose this loan shows that they are tacitly supporting the Russian war. This really is an unconscionable decision by the party and it's clear that it is reverting to its pre-invasion pro-Putin stance."

Last year, EU leaders agreed to address Ukraine's pressing financing needs for the next two years. They agreed to provide a €90 billion loan to Ukraine for 2026 and 2027, to be based on EU borrowing on the capital markets backed by the EU budget headroom.

This loan would be repaid by Ukraine only once Russia compensates Ukraine for the damage caused by its war of aggression. Until then, Russia's assets will remain immobilised and the EU reserves the right to use them to repay the loan, in accordance with EU and international law.

"Sinn Féin's opposition is absolutely deplorable and it shows them back again on the side of the Kremlin criminal," he concluded.

ENDS